European Powers Seek to Reduce Dependence on the US, Pursue Sovereignty in Technology and Defense
Germany and France are planning a joint effort to reduce their dependence on the United States, with a focus on technological and defense autonomy. The two governments are set to launch a range of initiatives and a “reset” of their relations, as reported by the Handelsblatt newspaper.
A central idea in the four-page government paper is that Europe must prepare for a potential “withdrawal of the US from European security.” To achieve this, the continent must be capable of acting autonomously. This includes the development of “sovereign” cloud platforms, large data centers where companies and individuals can securely process their data, in an effort to “enable immunity against foreign interventions” as quickly as possible.
In the defense sector, Germany and France aim to close technological gaps by increasing the continent’s defense and security spending, focusing on strengthening the “European technological and industrial base.” A new, Franco-German agency for spring innovations in military research is also planned, modeled after the US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA).
In the trade conflict with US President Donald Trump, Germany and France are adopting a united front, with an agreement with the US remaining the stated goal. However, the paper goes further, introducing the possibility of using “monetary and fiscal levers” against Trump. This approach is likely to raise eyebrows in Washington and among EU partners, as the EU is one of the world’s largest capital exporters, with a significant portion of European savings flowing into the US market. Politically instrumentalizing this, would be a drastic shift.